New Orleans hosts an actual PGA Tour event, and most group organizers planning a spring trip don’t even know it’s on the calendar. The Zurich Classic runs in late April at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, and it’s the Tour’s only official team-format event — two-person teams playing alternate-shot and best-ball rounds instead of the usual solo stroke play. That format alone makes it worth a day for a group that would otherwise skip a golf tournament entirely.
This is a spectator guide, not a “your group plays golf” guide — for that, see the large group golf guide, which covers booking tee times at TPC Louisiana and elsewhere for a group that wants to play rather than watch.
The Zurich Classic lands in the same stretch as French Quarter Fest and the early Jazz Fest weekend, which means a group already in town for spring’s festival run can add a tournament day without rearranging the trip.
Quick Checklist
- Confirm this year’s exact dates, ticket types, and hospitality packages on the official PGA Tour or Zurich Classic site before booking anything
- Buy grounds tickets in advance — walk-up availability isn’t guaranteed on a Tour event’s busier days
- Decide if your group wants a hospitality area (shade, seating, food/drink included) or general grounds access
- Plan the drive or shuttle to Avondale — TPC Louisiana is well outside the city core
- Check the tournament’s shuttle/parking plan for group vans or a larger party
- Pace the day around the team-format pairings, which move differently than a standard stroke-play field
- Pair it with another spring event day rather than building the whole trip around it
What the Zurich Classic Actually Is
The Zurich Classic is a regular PGA Tour event with one structural twist: it’s played as a team competition. Two-person teams play foursomes (alternate shot) one round and best ball another, which changes the rhythm of watching compared to a normal stroke-play Tour stop.
The format. Because players compete in pairs, you’ll see teams strategizing shot selection together mid-round — a different spectacle than watching one player worked through a hole alone. It also means the field is smaller than a standard 156-player event, which can make certain sightlines and group areas less crowded than you’d expect from a Tour stop.
The venue. TPC Louisiana is a Pete Dye design in Avondale, roughly 25 miles from the French Quarter. It’s a real, water-heavy championship course — worth seeing even if your group has zero interest in golf mechanics.
The timing. Late April, generally the week before or overlapping with the start of Jazz Fest’s first weekend. Confirm the current year’s exact dates and how they land relative to other spring events before locking a trip around it.
Don’t lock in specific ticket prices, hospitality packages, or exact dates from memory — confirm all of it on the official tournament site before buying.
Grounds Tickets vs. Hospitality: What Fits a Group
| Option | What it gets you | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Grounds ticket | General access to walk the course and watch from public viewing areas | Groups that want to wander, follow specific groups, and self-guide the day |
| Hospitality area | Reserved seating/shade, typically food and drink included, fixed location | Groups that want a home base for the day rather than a lot of walking |
| Skybox / suite (limited) | Elevated, private viewing near marquee holes | Smaller subsets of a larger group, or a splurge day |
A grounds ticket is the flexible, lower-cost choice and usually the right call for a group that wants to move around and see multiple holes. A hospitality area trades that mobility for a fixed, comfortable spot — better if your group would rather sit, eat, and watch the leaderboard than walk the whole property in April heat.
Running the Day With a Group
Confirm the Shuttle Plan Before You Drive
TPC Louisiana sits well outside the city core, and Tour events typically run their own parking and shuttle system rather than allowing general parking at the course. Check the tournament’s official transportation page for the current year’s shuttle lots and timing — don’t assume you can just drive up and park near the entrance with a group of any size.
Split by Interest, Not by Loyalty
Not everyone in a big group wants a full day of following golf. Let the golf-interested subset commit to the grounds for the day while others peel off for a shorter visit or skip it for a City Park day or a slower morning back at the villa. This isn’t an event that needs the whole crew moving as one unit.
Treat It as a Day Trip, Not a Home Base
Because the course is a real drive from the Quarter or Uptown, budget the round-trip transportation time the same way you would for a day trip out of the city — this isn’t a walk-out-the-door activity even though it’s technically within the metro area.
Pair It With the Rest of Spring
Late April is peak season in New Orleans — French Quarter Fest and the first Jazz Fest weekend are both in the same general window. A group building a longer spring trip can treat a Zurich Classic day as one piece of a busy week rather than the sole reason for the visit.
Pro Tips
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Buy tickets ahead, not at the gate. Tour events sell timed or capped-availability tickets for their busier days — don’t assume walk-up works every day of the tournament.
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Check the shuttle system before you drive anyone. TPC Louisiana’s event-day parking and transportation setup is different from a normal visit to the course.
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Decide grounds vs. hospitality before the group argues about it on-site. A grounds ticket rewards walkers; a hospitality area rewards a group that wants a fixed, comfortable spot.
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Don’t build the whole trip around one round of golf-watching. Pair it with the rest of a spring week — French Quarter Fest, Jazz Fest’s early weekend, or a plain city day.
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Bring shade and water regardless of ticket type. Late April in Louisiana can already run warm, and the course has long stretches without cover.
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Let the non-golf subset opt out cleanly. This is a good split-off activity, not a mandatory group event.
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Remember this sits in peak season. Late April is inside New Orleans’ spring high-demand stretch — for the largest selection, book 6+ months out, same as you would for Jazz Fest or FQF.
For a Big Group
The Zurich Classic works best as an add-on day inside a bigger spring trip, not as the trip’s reason for existing — it’s genuinely appealing to golf fans and a fine novelty for everyone else, but it doesn’t need the full group’s buy-in the way a parade or a music festival does. Let interest sort people into the grounds crowd and the everyone-else crowd, and reconvene for dinner.
Because late April overlaps with the city’s busiest spring stretch, accommodation strategy matters more than the tournament logistics. A central base makes both the Avondale day trip and the rest of a festival-heavy week workable without doubling back across the city. Spread the search across the property field by fit rather than fixating on one name.
For the largest selection, book 6+ months out.